The bitter battle and the battle formations constantly changed about—the Coiled Snake formation, the Tiger Trapping formation, the Dragon Ensnaring formation, and so on. There was not the slightest opening as they moved from formation to formation. They used the same formations, but the military disciples of the Hundred School of Thought were no match for them at all.

  Three hundred people swung their weapons quietly. Even when Li Qingshan charged around violently, he was unable to break out of the encirclement, especially since Han Tieyi commanded the formation and even took part in the battle constantly. If he were alone, he might have had a chance, but with the two of them, they could not take a single step forward.

  In the blink of an eye, Han Qiongzhi ran out of true qi. She was dripping with sweat. Holding off the formation alone had never been something a regular Qi Practitioner could achieve. As she faced the incoming row of dagger-axes, she was actually powerless to stop them. Her waist tightened, and she was pulled back by Li Qingshan.

  “Hang tight!”


  Li Qingshan carried her on his back. The situation became even more dangerous.

  Han Qiongzhi laid on his back. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind from behind, and as he rapidly turned around, three dagger-axes stabbed towards him swiftly.

  “Qingshan!”


  Li Qingshan snapped the dagger-axes or pulled them out of the hands of the opponent, but their tips had become dyed with red. They had been infused with the power of the entire formation, such that even the Ox Demon Forges its Hide was unable to block it. He was already fortunate it did not penetrate him all the way through.

  Seeing this, the soldiers actually all launched their attacks at Han Qiongzhi, which made Li Qingshan curse inside.

  “Let me down!” Han Qiongzhi’s heart ached. This was her father’s personal army. With just a single order, they would not even show a shred of mercy no matter who the opponent was.

  “Stop moving around!”


  Han Qiongzhi struggled around on his back, but Li Qingshan reached back and pulled her in. These people really were out to kill. They did not treat Han Qiongzhi as their young miss at all.

  Han Qiongzhi immediately stopped moving, as whenever she moved, a few more wounds would appear on Li Qingshan. She lay on his back firmly, and the rims of her eyes reddened helplessly. She murmured, “Qingshan.”


  ……


  Li Qingshan held a broken dagger-axe to prop himself up. His true qi was almost completely depleted, and his body was riddled with wounds. However, Han Qiongzhi remained completely unscathed on his back.

  Out of the personal army, a hundred was heavily injured, while the remaining two hundred maintained the formation rigorously, without easing up at all. They were taken aback with surprise and shock. Never had they seen such a tenacious opponent before, and he was using this momentary stalemate to recover his strength despite the huge disadvantage he was facing.

  At this moment, a figure rose up, immediately rousing the killing intent of the formation. Dagger-axes and spears shot over from everywhere. Only then did they make out the person to be Han Qiongzhi. As it turned out, after she had recovered sufficient true qi on Li Qingshan’s back, she had immediately flown off to receive the incoming wave of weapons.

  “Qiongzhi!” Li Qingshan flew up with her, but it was already too late. Just when Han Qiongzhi was about to be pierced by the weapons, Han Tieyi shot over. His spear darted out like a dragon below Han Qiongzhi. With a jerk and a flick, he grabbed her by the shoulder and took her out of the formation.

  “Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi extended her hand, but all she saw was a smile of relief on Li Qingshan’s face.

  “Withdraw.”


  With Han Tieyi’s order, the army immediately withdrew. In the blink of an eye, only Li Qingshan stood there, alone. He saw the gates leading to the inner estate open loudly behind Han Tieyi, so he asked loudly, “So have I passed the test?”


  “You’ve passed my test.” Han Tieyi released Han Qiongzhi and made his way to the side of the gate.

  Li Qingshan strode over. The soldiers stood in two rows, allowing him to pass by. Someone called out, “Nice strength, lad!” A companion who supported an injured soldier added, “Yeah, he’s got some skill!”


  Li Qingshan held Han Qiongzhi’s hand. The two of them made their way into the inner estate together.

  “Where’s the gift?”


  “Can I keep it for myself?”


  “You can’t!”


  ……


  “General, Qiongzhi and I love each other from the bottom of our hearts. I’d like to take her as my wife.”


  Han Anjun sat extremely straight in front of the main room of the estate. Li Qingshan made his way over and bowed before he proudly spoke.

  Han Qiongzhi’s face became flushed with joy and embarrassment.

  “No!” Han Anjun said firmly, filled with unwaverable determination.

  “Why?” Li Qingshan was surprised. They had already done all this, but it was still no?

  “Why? Old man, you better explain yourself!” Even Han Qiongzhi could not help herself anymore, going up and pointing at Han Anjun.

  “No reason. No is no. It’s quite late now, so if there’s nothing else, you can go!” Han Anjun stood up, turned around, and made his way into the room.

  “Stop right there! We haven’t travelled all the way here to hear your opinion!”


  Han Qiongzhi snatched the gift from Li Qingshan’s hand and smashed it viciously before Han Anjun. Aggrieved, tears covered her face. Never had she seen such an unreasonable father. She grabbed Li Qingshan hand and rushed out the door, brushing past Han Tieyi.

  Han Tieyi was slightly surprised. Making his way in, all he saw was Han Anjun bending down, picking up the scattered pastries. He asked without even looking up, “Why are you here?”


  “I ordered the troops to withdraw, defying your orders. I’ve specially come for punishment!”


  “Even you’re disobeying me.” Han Anjun straightened himself out and placed a pastry in his mouth, chewing it slightly before swallowing it. “It’s quite nice. To think that this girl would just throw it away on a whim.”


  “Father, why did you refuse them?” Han Tieyi lowered his head deeply. He was completely perplexed.

  “So you find me completely unreasonable too? I’m not always right about everything.”


  Han Tieyi raised his head in surprise. He struggled to believe that those words had come from his father’s mouth, but all he saw was the corner of Han Anjun’s lips curling into a rare smile.

  “I wholeheartedly want to raise the two of you into capable people. I don’t want to become what holds you back instead. Even with that girl, she seems like she does whatever she wants, but when she’s found herself a man, she still comes earnestly for my approval. Why must she need my approval? Teiyi, you have to understand that before general and soldier, before father and son, we are cultivators.”


  Han Tieyi left in thought, while Han Anjun returned to the main room. Cao Gan currently held his zither very gently in there, carefully tuning the strings.

  “General, your son-in-law is far too heavy-handed. He almost broke my zither. Though, his strength really is quite impressive, so why didn’t you recruit him into the Han family? He’ll definitely be of great assistance in the future. Surely your adamant refusal wasn’t just to punish the young miss, right?”


  “I can’t hide anything from you. The kid is anything but mediocre, but he will never yield himself to another. On the path of cultivation, there are only partners of cultivation, not partners of love. Unless they possess the same goal, the same mindset, how can they stand the test of time? Today, they marry because of love. One day, they’ll separate because of love. Their status as husband and wife will only become shackles to one another.”


  “Heh, fair enough. When you put two balls of fire together, they seem to blaze fiercely, but it won’t last. In my opinion, it’ll be surprising if they can last another three or five years. The young miss will definitely understand this perspective of yours in the future.”


  ……


  The two of them left the general’s estate, but they did not return to the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Instead, they arrived in Han Qiongzhi’s courtyard in Clear River city.

  Han Qiongzhi remained silent the entire time. Li Qingshan had no idea on how he should comfort her either. “I think it’s still because my cultivation is insufficient. Let me cultivate a little longer. Once I destroy your father’s personal army, he won’t have anything more to say.”


  “Are your wounds fine?” Han Qiongzhi finally spoke.

  “They’re nothing!” Li Qingshan’s body had always been tough. Combined with a few Water Healing techniques, he made a complete recovery.

  “Then let’s get married right now!”